In the run-up to the 2025 local body elections in Kerala, political parties have urged the State Election Commission to reduce the number of voters per polling booth.

The demand was made at a meeting the Commission organised on Saturday with representatives of political parties for reviewing the arrangements. Local bodies in Kerala are scheduled to witness elections towards the end of this year.

For local body polls, polling stations have a maximum of 1,300 voters in the panchayats and 1,600 per polling station in the municipalities and corporations. Political parties wanted the Commission, which is tasked with preparing voters lists and holding elections to local bodies, to reduce the numbers to avoid long queues.

They also drew the Commission’s attention to the fact that the Election Commission of India – responsible for the Assembly and Parliament elections – has capped the number at 1,200.

The Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has urged the Commission to keep the numbers at 1,100 in the panchayats and 1,300 in the municipalities and corporations.

As on June 30, 2025, Kerala has 2,66,78,256 voters in the Commission’s electoral rolls.

Electronic voting machines were first used for local body polls in 2015. At the time, polling stations in the panchayats had 1,100 voters and those in the urban areas, 1,500. For the 2020 elections, the Commission had extended the polling hours by one hour (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and reset the voter numbers to 1,300 and 1,600 respectively. However, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic this was revised to 1,200 and 1,500 respectively.

At Saturday’s meeting, political parties also urged the Commission to give new voters more time to register their names in the electoral rolls. The Commission has given time from July 23 to August 7 to add new names to the list. Political parties have asked the Commission to extend the deadline.

Representatives of Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India, Indian Union Muslim League, Kerala Congress (M), Kerala Congress (B), Welfare Party of India, Social Democratic Party of India, Kerala Congress, Janata Dal (S), All India Forward Bloc, Janadipatya Kerala Congress, Revolutionary Socialist Party, and Bahujan Samaj Party attended the meeting.